Black Or White?
by Jade.Parchment
Summary: Regulus Black did not always see everything in Black and White...
1. Chapter 1

_"To the Dark Lord,_

_I know I will be dead long before you read this but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match you will be mortal once more."_

_R.A.B_

Blood. Regulus Black had seen the crimson liquid many times before but had not observed how beautiful it truly was. In potions it was very rarely human blood and if it was there was nothing special about it-he felt no tie towards it, when he saw the stuff leaking from students in the hallways if they did not have the emerald crest on their robes he would not spare them a glace but as he saw the red dripping off the pale skin of his companion he noticed how pretty it could look-especially on her.

"Mr Black if you insist on wading in here, dripping with mud-might I add, then at least have the decency to step aside whilst I see to Miss White," Madam Pomfrey snapped at him before fussing about the girl on the hospital bed in front of him. He didn't mind the healer's rant in the slightest; Regulus had grown up under the roof of Orion and Walburga Black and had come accustomed to being ordered around the place so he smiled to himself as he thought of his mother at home and what she would say to him running around the castle after some girl. He helped himself to the seat by the bed and watched as the wound started to heal. The blood on her face became dry and looked somewhat like crystals-tiny crimson crystals but the fresh liquid from the wound receded inside itself and started to vanish.

"Why isn't she awake?" Regulus asked, "Surely she should be awake by now if the bleeding has stopped?"

"Mr Black," Pomfrey snapped again but didn't look up from Hollie, "I don't think it is your place to judge my professional opinion with the scrapes that you Slytherins get yourselves into and _my_ professional opinion is that Miss White should wake very shortly so please make yourself useful and dab her forehead very gently with this cloth." She must be having a very bad day,Regulus noted, as the healer roughly handed over the damp rag. Regulus placed it on Hollie's forehead rather awkwardly and started to dab.

Hollie White's chestnut ringlets pulled into her signature pigtails were covered in blood and her face, which was usually pale, looked a ghostly shade. Her chest was rising and falling slowly emphasising her Slytherin crest.

"Honestly," Madam Pomfrey sighed, exasperated, "that's the last thing I need," she said gesturing to the door of the hospital wing, "the whole of the Slytherin Quiditch team trekking in here. Wipe your boots!" Regulus chuckled to himself quietly as Madam Pomfrey started attending to a Gryffindor patient across from Regulus and Hollie.

"How is she, Black?" Avery called walking up to the hospital bed and looking down at the third year on it. "She looks a bit pale."

"She's always pale." Selwyn pointed out and Regulus nodded; she was.

"Keep dabbing!" Madam Pomfrey shouted from across hospital wing. Regulus rolled his eyes but pressed the cloth to the unconscious girl's forehead. A bit of colour was returning to her cheeks which was reassuring but she was still deathly pale.

"I knew we shouldn't have let the bludger out until we were outside," Jugson said, quickly averting himself of any blame. Slytherins were meant to be clever and cunning but to Regulus it was a mystery how Jugson was sorted into the same house as himself. He was a fair flyer, he'd give him that, but he was as thick as shit.

"No shit," Regulus said. Jugson, who had a particular attraction to trouble-or in Regulus' opinion was increasingly clumsy-and was profoundly known for it, had let the quiditch balls out of the chest inside of the small changing room. The vicious bludger had hit Hollie in the head and knocked her unconscious and left her with a nasty, bloody wound. Hollie couldn't fly at all; it was pathetic how bad she was but on the other hand Hollie had excellent quiditch strategies and ties to the department of magical games and sports so the Slytherin quiditch team kept her around during practices and games-she wasn't there out of choice but Regulus dragged her along, she was well-respected throughout the team.

"Language Reg," a hoarse voice from bellow chided. Hollie's eyes were open and she was trying to prop herself up on the hospital bed.

"Hey Holl, how are you feeling?" Regulus asked and Hollie groaned. He wasn't sure whether it was out of pain or because of the small crowd round her.

"What idiot decided to let out that fucking bludger?" Hollie demanded and Jugson took a step back from the seething girl on the bed.

"Language Hollie," Reg chided mockingly using the same town she had used previously which earned him a slap in the arm.

"Well?" Hollie looked around at the purely male quiditch team surrounding her hospital bed. She unsuccessfully tried to sit up straighter on the bed, rather quickly in Regulus' opinion, before crashing down onto the striped pillow.

"Holl?" Regulus lowered himself to the girl's level and put a concerned hand on her shoulder. She swatted his hand away before propping herself up once again this time with one elbow as she gripped the bridge of her nose with her free arm.

"Head rush," she said simply and he nodded understandingly before returning himself, rather awkwardly, to his full height.

In answer to her previous demand of who had released the bludger Jugson volunteered an answer, "We decided that it would be best to release them inside as if we did so out in the rain we may have lost them." Jugson's attempt to sound calm and collected was pitiful-the Slytherin drawl was something that he had not yet mastered.

Some of the younger Slytherins' protests were quite uncalled for, Regulus thought, as the team argued in the most un-Slytherin-like fashion with Jugson for his stupid reasoning for _his_ actions. Despite Regulus being a younger member of the team, being a third year, he thought himself more respected and sensible than most of his teammates, being a Black, so remained silent trying to look bored at his teammates however annoying their outbursts were. He shared a look of annoyance with Hollie who rolled her chocolate eyes back at him. She took the scratchy bed covers off her body before swinging her petite legs over the hospital bed and stood up.

Pomfrey strided over to the commotion, "You lot are making such a horrendous racket that I can hear from the other side of the hospital wing. I have Mr. Lupin attempting to sleep-the poor boy is exhausted-so I do not appreciate the uproar." Regulus felt Hollie trying to shuffle unsuccessfully behind him in a failed attempt to shield herself from the healer. "Miss White return to the bed," she ordered and Hollie sighed angrily but nevertheless scrambled back under the scratchy bedcover. "Anymore of this and I'll call the headmaster."

The healer busied herself once again at the other end of the wing so Regulus smirked at Hollie who had her arms crossed and the most majestically unpleased expression on her face. "Bad luck, Holl," he said.

"Piss off, Black." Regulus chuckled.

"I wonder what Lupin's been up to?" Lestrange pushed himself to the front of the crowd of Slytherins and next to Lupin's bed. The sandy-haired boy was sleeping soundly; snoring lightly-despite what the healer had said. "The poor boy is exhausted." Lestrange's smile was rather unnerving.

Hollie's expression changed at once to that of a calm mask, her frame stiffening as she saw Lestrange, "Leave him," Hollie said looking over to Rabastan who looked like he was reaching for his wand, "Potter and Black won't be happy if you touch him." Regulus sniffed; Sirius was a painful topic of conversation for him but he remained impassive as it was dragged up. He should have seen it coming-if Lupin was lying in a hospital bed; the topic of the other Black brother wasn't far behind.

"I'm not scared of them," Lestrange muttered before taking out his wand and tracing is lightly over Lupin's dirt-speckled, exhausted face.

Regulus saw a flash of messy black hair and knew that the Gryffindors had entered the hospital wing. "Touch him and you die, Lestrange," Potter said, wand out at Rabastan. It was inevitable that Lupin was in a hospital bed and Potter and Sirius wouldn't appear eventually, Regulus just wished it has occurred later. Potter was flanked by Sirius and Pettigrew and it was most unfortunate that they had entered when Lestrange's wand was by Lupin's head.

"Relax Potter," Lestrange said taking his wand off Lupin but keeping it out pointed at the aggravated Gryffindors. It was typical for a Gryffindor to get his wand out and act rashly; a quality that Regulus liked to think he did not posses.

Hollie got out of bed and stood by Rabastan most likely to make the Slytherin numbers appear superior, Regulus thought, so he followed-making his usually shadowy presence known to his brother.

"Regulus," his brother acknowledged him with a small snide smile.

"Sirius," he replied with a curt nod.

"You lot can leave now," Hollie said to the Slytherins. There was an awkward, silent pause before Jugson nodded then meandered away down the wing and out of the door followed by Rowle who gave a small smile at Hollie before leaving through the large oak doors. Regulus' teammates did not move and continued to stare intently at the Gryffindors. "Leave now," Hollie reinforced with added malice this time-trying to disrupt and end the tension.

"They don't have to," Sirius said with a smile at his younger brother that made his feel almost feverish. Hollie pointed a wand that he didn't know she had at his brother. Regulus noticed the markings on the wand and felt in his pocket for his own and felt no wood within. Hollie had his wand.

"You may be eager to start a fight, Black, but we however are not," she said to the older boy with her eyes blazing. Her statement was untrue and the Gryffindors could see it on their faces-they were all very eager for a fight, to let out the tension, well except Regulus maybe, but Hollie most defiantly did not want to-probably because she was slightly concussed; her actions seemed to point to that conclusion. Regulus continued to feel uncomfortable as he saw his brother on the end of his own wand-his companion may have been pointing it but it was his own wand nevertheless.

Sirius said nothing in response to her angry statement but instead smirked down at the chestnut-haired female before replying, "You have something rather ugly looking on you head."

Hollie harrumphed and turned round and addressed the Slytherin Quiditch team. "Come back later when they have left," she gestured to the Gryffindors, "gone if you must but please go or Pomfrey shall never let me leave."

The team looked un-eager to leave but when the younger Slytherin female gave the quiditch captain, Rabastan, a stare which he dared not question he turned round to the others and said, "Let's go."

Regulus did not leave like the others and instead grabbed Hollie's shoulders and rubbed lightly. Usually she did not like contact with anyone so it was to Regulus' surprise that she did no shake him off and instead sighed deeply.

"She's a bad influence on you," Sirius called as he turned his back on his younger brother and walked towards the seat that was by Lupin's bed. If it was anybody else Regulus may have replied with a witty, maybe spiteful, comment but instead he sighed deeply too.

"Miss White I shall not tell you again," Pomfrey warned-who had somehow missed all the real commotion, "Get back to bed." Regulus heard Hollie grind her teeth together but she allowed him to steer her from the middle of the corridor of the wing back to her bed.

She scrambled in once again and looked angrily at Sirius who seemed to sense her gaze and turned round. He winked in a fashion that was somehow malicious and Regulus felt his stomach twist.

"Honestly," Hollie said angrily but Regulus did not respond. Hollie looked up at him, "Are you okay, Reg?"

Regulus did not reply once again but instead took the wizard chess set that was on the table next to the bed on the left side of the pair of Slytherins to which it looked like it belonged to a Hufflepuff that was sleeping with a twisted look of pain on his face. Regulus perched himself on Hollie's bed, by her legs, and held the set up in the air. She smiled.

"Black or White?" Regulus asked. It was out of pure tradition that he asked her the question; Regulus Black was nothing if not fond of traditions, as her answer was always the same, giving her own name, but there was something in her eyes that made him doubt her answer. It was as if she was planning something devious or laughing not quite maliciously at the expense of someone else that made him second guess it. She was looking rather intently at the row of raven pawns when she gave an answer she had never given before.

"Black."

He wasn't sure why it made him smile back at her.

**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own the Harry Potter Universe or its characters but I can still dream._

**I've never really taken to third person up until now for some reason and I really like it. I don't know if this is something that I'm going to carry on with or not but I very much enjoyed writing it. So please tell me how I did. I'm quite proud of this ff but I'll most likely look back at it in a few months and cringe. Any suggestions or quires would be most welcome and if I get enough response I may consider continuing this on. Might. Criticism is also welcome but nothing too aggressive please but I'm always eager to learn how to improve. Thank you very much for reading and **_**Please Review**_**. Thanks...J.P xx**


	2. Chapter 2

The rush of the previous day had not escaped Regulus' usual behaviour. His eyes held almost unnoticeable purple bags and his silky black hair was dishevelled, but not in a way that someone could state an obvious change, however the Black family trait of remaining in a tranquil state, for the outside world to see, fell into place as he entered the Great Hall for dinner.

He attempted to block out the ruckus from the Lion's table as his brother's clowns whipped their wands out to perform some small magic, to some girls lusting after them. Lupin was there, he noticed, he must have recovered from whatever mystery illness he had possessed yesterday and he was also watching Sirius and James with an admiration he was trying to hide. Pathetic.

The Slytherin table was a lot quieter with most people eating in silence or sharing a comment over a book but what he didn't expect was Hollie to be one of them. He controlled his bound and walked up to her, in a pace that an onlooker would call normal, and sat beside her like he did every day. She was concentrating very hard on something written in her book and he watched intently as her forehead crinkled in confusion when her eyes fell across a puzzling phrase. Dinner was usually a quiet affair for the pair as silence was never uncomfortable to him but he felt like he should make his presence known and ask how she was. The wound was almost invisible with just a small scar remained in the shape of a half moon next to her parting. Regulus gave a small cough and her brown eyes flashed up to greet his. "Hey Reg," she said and shifted the hair that had fallen into her face whilst she was reading and placed the book down on the table. He did not recognise the title.

"I thought you were in the hospital wing," Regulus said with what he thought was an accusatory tone. There was a large bang from across the room and although Regulus didn't chance a glance he guessed that something had caused an explosion on the Gryffindor table. Hollie, Regulus noted did raise her head slightly at the sound of the commotion but held her gaze for longer that he thought was necessary to get a glimpse of the situation.

"Calm down, Reg," she said, still watching the other table with intent. Something caught her eye and her gaze quickly dropped. "I'm not the one that Pomfrey needs to worry about anymore." Her message was said in her usual tone but there was something in her eyes that allowed him to realise a second meaning in her words but before he could question it Selwyn approached the two of them with a small smirk in his face.

"Jugson's in the hospital wing," he stated and sat down next to Hollie gently nudging her arm. Hollie didn't like contact so she gave him a look before watching the Gryffindor table again, trying her best to ignore Selwyn.

"So?" Hollie asked, almost bored, a complete contrast as to before the other Slytherin joined their conversation, Regulus noted.

Selwyn looked unsure and the smile vanished from his face, "So, it wasn't you?" he directed at Hollie and she shrugged.

"I don't know I can't really remember what happened last night," she said, her face smooth, "I was concussed." There was a small devilish smile playing around the corners of her mouth.

"That you were," Regulus said and Hollie's eyebrows rose slightly as if questioning him. "I can't believe you took my wand."

"Sorry Reg," she said sincerely enough, "_Mine_ was still in the changing rooms. You should have brought it up for me-you knew I was no in no fit state to bring it with me-I was unconscious," She gave a small, gentle shrug and sneezed delicately.

"Bless you. You could have just asked me for my wand," Regulus said, "and I still can't believe you threatened the Gryffindors."

"You wouldn't have given me it," she said and he knew it was true, "so I had to be sneaky."She threw him a grin to which he replied to with a roll of his grey eyes and Hollie sneezed again.

"Bless you," Selwyn said and Regulus started to wish that he would just go away now that he had said his piece.

"Don't you have somewhere to be, Selwyn?" Hollie asked casually seeming to read Regulus' mind. Selwyn's face fell slightly but he recovered rather quickly to which Regulus gave him some credit but it wasn't enough to stop the small smirk that he could feel spreading across his face.

"Yes I do actually," he said. "Hollie." He bid a due to the pair. "Black." He watched Selwyn grab a slice of well done toast before leaving the Great Hall whistling to himself.

"Well that was rude."

"Piss off Black," Hollie said with a smile the only inclination on her face that told him she was joking. Regulus watched as her eyes lifted to the Gryffindor table once again. He felt himself grow irritated.

"What are you looking at?" he asked.

"Gryffindors" she said simply.

"Gryffindors?"

"Gryffindors."

Regulus wanted to ask more but the owls flew in and delivered the mail. He received nothing as usual, he'd stopped waiting for a parcel or a letter during his first year at Hogwarts, which made him quite sad now that he thought about it but he pushed it aside; his mother wasn't the one to give love, she'd had children to carry on the Black family name, she had told him that. A large Screech owl landed in front of Hollie, causing her to give a little groan. Regulus recognized the bird as Hollie's father's messenger owl. It carried a perfectly white envelope with the White family crest imbedded on it. Hollie took the letter and the owl flew away quickly, as if he didn't want to be in the presence of the young, so Regulus watched it go as Hollie read her letter.

"What does it say?" Regulus asked curiously. Hollie lifted a finger to silence Regulus as she finished scanning her father's message. It was unusual for the length to be so long. When she had finished she waved her hand round in an attempt to play down anything said in the letter, at least that's how Regulus saw it. "Just wanting me to attend a wedding sometime," she drawled and then she snorted in a very un-ladylike fashion, "and something about remaining presentable-honestly," she sighed. "You boys have it so easy."

He decided not to ponder on Hollie's statement and instead asked her something that had been making him curious. "How come you played Black yesterday?" he asked. "You always play white."

"You and you're traditions," Hollie said with a swift roll of her brown eyes. That was not the reason he asked but he decided to leave it as that after all he wasn't sure why he asked himself.

"So?"

"I've told you," she said with a thick layer of annoyance masking her voice, "I was concussed."

"I thought you just said that to get out of commenting on Selwyn's remarks," he said.

"So you think I'd normally go and threaten you're brother, steal your wand and tell Lestrange what to do if I wasn't concussed?"

"Maybe," he answered quietly, he didn't appreciate people mentioning his brother in front of him.

"Right," Hollie scoffed before tucking into a savoury quiche.

There wasn't much time to ponder on Hollie's state of mind from yesterday as once Hollie shut you off from her there literally became an invisible and thick wall in between her and yourself. Regulus had gotten used to their exchange in the past years but still missed the conversation when she did shut down; this was mostly due to her reading. He did not interrupt her.

There wasn't so much as a 'is that book good?' from Regulus for the remainder of the meal and apart from a few delicate sneezes on Hollie's behalf it was silent as well. All seemed unnaturally still on their side of the table until two long pale fingers tapped Hollie on the shoulder. Regulus' head turned instinctively and then he lowered it again. It was Rabastan Lestrange. Hollie did not stir, unaware of the presence behind her. In Regulus' opinion a dangerous mistake. Lestrange coughed slightly with an impatient tone even in his small gesture.

"Hollie," Regulus said nudging her slightly with his bony elbow and in turn she gave him an irritating sharp look up from her book. He tried calling her name again as he heard the grating noise of Lestrange's foot tapping against the old oak floor but this time there was no reaction from Hollie, not even a look this time.

"A word?" Lestrange demanded. It was more of an order than a question and Regulus felt a long shiver flow down his upright spine.

Regulus turned around slowly to face the towering figure that was Rabastan Lestrange. "With who?" Regulus tried though his voice was shaky and nervous. Apart from Quidditch practice he did not have much to do with the older Slytherin.

"With whom, Regulus," Hollie corrected chidingly, before tearing herself away from her book and swinging her legs round gracefully so she was facing the other way and the other side of the Slytherin bench.

Lestrange wafted a long pale hand aside, brushing the younger boy off before focussing his attention on Hollie with his eyes that resembled a bird of prey. Dangerous. "Hollie." His voice was deep but somehow sounded almost musical yet firm. It wasn't gruff or ragged like the other seventh year Slytherins he had encounted but it was harsher, like a steel whip. Strange for a boy still at school but Regulus had to remind himself that in the eyes of the law Lestrange was legally a man.

"Not now, Lestrange," Hollie said, "I'm enjoying the pudding." She gestured with her right hand back to the table and attempted to turn back round only to be prevented in doing so by Lestrange who had grabbed her shoulder harshly which clamped her into place. Regulus shuddered but tried to conceal it. The other two weren't paying attention to him but this wasn't a good sign.

"Now, Hollie." Hollie picked up Lestrange's hand and removed it from her small body whilst wearing an expression Regulus could only describe as disgust.

"You can say it in front of Reg."

"No, I really can't." Lestrange gave a musical laugh that would make a toddler cry.

"Fine," Hollie said evenly before standing up gracefully, "I needed to go to the hospital wing for a remedy anyway. I'm getting a cold." That was true but unusually put, Regulus thought. "Don't wait here for me, Reg I'll meet you in Potions." She gave him a funny look almost a warning. That's what her eyes said but they were angry and threatening. She meant for him not to follow. That much was clear. Regulus had no intention of doing what she wanted.

Regulus watched as Hollie threw Lestrange an irritated look but with more angst than the one's she gave him. Rabastan placed his hand on her shoulder in return, once again, it was a gentle movement but Regulus knew what he was doing. He was guiding her out the hall. Lestrange was in control and the disappointing thing was that, because of her posture and blank expression, Hollie knew it too.

Hollie left her book. Things were serious. Hollie never did that.

Regulus waited for a few seconds after the pair had left the hall before quickly scrambling over the bench and following them out. He waited for a few seconds by the entrance of the Great Hall to make sure they were a fair distance in front of him in which time he gave a brief glance towards the Gryffindor table. Things had quietened down but not much. His eyes met his brother's. Grey to grey. Sirius held Regulus' gaze and gave him a questioning look. Sirius' eyes flashed to the doorway before returning to Regulus'. He nodded sharply before running out of the hall in an undignified way. It irritated him that Sirius could understand him so easily. Maybe their minds worked in the same way. They were brothers after all. There wasn't time to think of it.

He raced out of the hall and guided himself swiftly along the many corridors racing after the pair. When they grinded to a halt or the side of the corridor Regulus nearly span round the corner in his haste but only managed to enter the corridor briefly, not enough time for the pre-occupied pair to notice anything amiss before he retreated round the corner. He was still in hearing distance but hidden from view. He wished that he could perform delusion charms but alas he was only a third year.

"What a waste of dessert," he heard Hollie sigh almost teasingly to Lestrange before there was a large bang followed by a whimper of pain that definitely did not belong to Lestrange. Regulus clenched his fists imagining the ripple of pain that coursed through her pale face.

"You try another stunt like yesterday and you'll be sorry," Rabastan threatened. Regulus listened intently and awaited Hollie's reply. If it was anyone else she would have replied with a witty comment but Regulus prayed that hopefully she would do the smart thing and take the threats. Hopefully she would be clever.

"Put it away Rabastan." Regulus should have known Hollie was _not_ clever when it came to pride. He should have known but this wasn't a good sign. It meant that the wands were out. "I was concussed," Hollie tried to excuse herself in a casual manner-she knew this was coming from the relaxed tone in her clear velvety voice.

"Give me your hand, White." That was an unusual request. Was he going to profess his undying love for her? Something in Regulus' stomach twisted before he allowed himself to chuckle quietly-it was Rabastan Lestrange. Then he re-thought this and his stomach twisted again this time it ran deeper...it was Rabastan Lestrange. "You're cold," Regulus heard Lestrange taunting Hollie. Regulus desperately wanted to reveal himself and hex Lestrange, for he knew some tricky ones, but that would not help the situation or benefit his position or Hollie's.

"I'm cold." Regulus heard Hollie try to pass her trembling as the cold. Hollie was far from fearless although she acted otherwise.

"You're scared." There was a cruel sneer in Lestrange's voice.

"Piss off Rabastan," Hollie spat, "back to France.

"You're a nasty piece of work." Regulus could hear the malicious grin in the older boy's words.

"Is that why you're harassing me now?" Hollie asked. "Because you know the Dark Lord will want me over you?" Hollie sounded smug and he picture her placing her hips on her hips like she usually did when she knew she was right.

"You silly little girl," Lestrange chided her. Hollie gasped loudly and a deep dread filled Regulus and dared himself to take a peek round the corner. Hollie may have been in danger. He couldn't deny he was itching to take out his wand and show Hollie how powerful he could be. What? Where had that come from? He decided to ignore his conflicting emotions and have a look.

Nothing could have prepared Regulus saw next. There was a skull eating a long and aggressive serpent on Lestrange's lower arm. His wand was highlighting the mark pointing at it in a proud yet dangerous fashion. Regulus sunk back into the shadows and slumped down the corridor wall and out of sight from Hollie and...the...the Death Eater.

"What?" Hollie questioned. "H-he let y-you," she stammered. She composed herself slightly. "You joined?"

"I'm in charge around here, White," Lestrange said. "Don't forget that."

There was a large flash of bright red light and Regulus cringed against the brightness as it crashed against the end of the corridor and shattered all around him. A spell. A hex. Possibly a curse. He couldn't identify it from the colour. Blood red. As it shattered on his end of the corridor it must have come from the other end.

"What was that?" Lestrange snarled, possibly at Hollie.

"It doesn't matter," Hollie said firmly. Adrenalin pumped through Regulus' veins and as he pulled himself of the floor and he rose onto his toes ready to possibly sprint away if Lestrange started to search around. There was no way that he could appear on that corridor without looking like he was eaves-dropping but thinking about it...he was eavesdropping. That was not a conversation Regulus wanted to have with Lestrange...or his wand.

Lestrange seemed to ignore the possibly threat of the rogue hex and turned his attention back to Hollie. Regulus wasn't sure whether to be agitated and nervous or relieved. He decided to go with agitated and nervous.

"You weren't expecting that were you? You're pale," Lestrange stated.

"I'm always pale," Regulus heard Hollie say. It was true but there was also truth to Lestrange's words true. He was scared for Hollie so there was no doubt that Hollie was scared for herself too but she was holding her own.

"I'm going back to get my stuff," Hollie said. "Reg will be wondering where I am." Regulus took this as his cue to get out of there. But what if there was more to be said? They mentioned his name after all. How he wished he could perform a dissolution charm! His curiosity won over him and he decided to just to stay put and if the pair caught him... well he'd cross that bridge when he came to it.

"Such a loyal little puppy," Lestrange jeered. Regulus felt his neck go all hot and sweaty and in anger and started breathing rather heavily.

"Man's best friend and all that," Hollie agreed and Regulus turned cold inside.

"Blacks do make the best guard dogs," Lestrange noted, "even the Gryffindors are catching on. Potter's got himself a Chihuahua.

Hollie argued almost thoughtfully, "Sirius's to majestic to be a Chihuahua." Regulus heard a strange noise around him; like a snort or a laugh but there was nothing there. Nobody. Nothing.

It must have come from Lestrange.

"There's something I wanted you to do for me," Lestrange said rather abruptly and he started to whisper and Hollie did so in return. If they were not going being to be talking loud enough for him to hear there was no point staying. He turned round to go but he felt something strange. Like a ghost was passing by him; not through him or over him but by his side. It was like there was a small movement of the air by him and the tiniest sound that came with it. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. It seemed familiar somehow.

Strange.

Regulus started to tiptoe out of the corridor, after the sound vanished, then ran like hell to Potions Class.

He took his place at the back of the class and waited for Hollie to arrive. She was discussing things with Lestrange, no doubt. How irritating.

She arrived late. "You went to the hospital wing?" he asked, knowing the true answer and expecting a lie. She nodded at him rather sharply with a funny look clouding her expression before paying attention to the lecture the Slughorn was now giving in a pompous manner which Regulus found frankly annoying. Regulus was one of old Slugger's favourites but that didn't stop him from disliking the old man. Having to endure his endless chatter about students he knew years ago. Irritating. She was avidly taking notes from the beginning which was quite unusual as Hollie usually just sat back in this class...

Strange.

"Why are you taking notes?" Regulus asked her to which she replied with a simple shrug not lifter her eyes of the parchment.

He tried to take a look at what she was writing but her writing was too small as always and her arm was sheltering the sheet slightly.

"Ah the lovely Miss White," Slughorn called and immediately Hollie looked up from her notes to stare expectantly at the potions professor.

"Can you tell the class the properties of a dog's heart?"

There was the strangest look on her face.

Strange.

**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own the Harry Potter Universe or its character...if only._

I have mixed feelings about this chapter. What do you think about the length? Usually I write shorter chapters but I thought I'd push the boat out...just for you. So please...reward me with a review. Pretty please. I'm not guaranteeing more chapters, only if I feel like it, but I think this story could go further but only if I get your response. As always criticism is welcome as are suggestions and writing tips. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I really appreciate it...J.P xx


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